Eat Like Ushi

The first time I heard of Dan Hong was on the 1st episode of the terrible Australian version of Iron Chef, where he squared off against Neil Perry. Even though Dan lost this battle on scoring, anyone who actually watched the episode and listened to the judges' comments could have sworn he should have won. Nonetheless, it seems he's doing pretty damn well on his own now.

I had read a little about Mr. Wong and it's place in the stratosphere of trendy as well as the 2 chef hat rating (with prices to match). As I was in Sydney to have a look at Vivid around the Opera House, Mr. Wong was ideally located for this.

I was a little bemused that I turned up at 8pm to be told there was no availability for 2 until 10pm. This wouldn't seem so odd if it wasn't for the restaurant policy not to take bookings for less than 6 people (for dinner) and that I saw several 2 seat spots at tables or the counter vacant. If you don't take bookings, who is going to use those? Perhaps they have a written waitlist for people who turn up and place names at the door. Who knows.

Anyway the next day lunch seemed like the perfect opportunity to make a booking and attend. Strangely enough on a Saturday noon sitting, the place wasn't completely full. Good overall for me I suppose.

- Scallop & prawn shumai $12 - I had read about this as one of the best dumplings in Sydney. It was a half-sliced scallop atop a standard yum cha dumpling. It was fine, but very expensive and not all that memorable;
- Prawn & crispy dough chueng fun $15 - a sensational combination of prawn stuffed inside a Chinese doughnut and enveloped lovingly in chueng fun. The best version I've had of this anywhere in the world. I wonder if adding char siu to the mix would be a good or bad thing...;
- Abalone, snow crab & white rice bamboo roll $15 - for some reason I expected a thick, fried roll and instead received stick rice with a small piece of chewy but tasty abalone, a bit of crab meat and a bit of lap cheung (Chinese sausage). Quite underwhelming for the price;
- King crab & sweetcorn fried rice, trout roe & crispy conpoy $22 - I hadn't considered this dish until the waiter asked if I wanted rice with the mains. This was phenomenal. It takes the salted fish (of the Cantonese-style salted fish & chicken fried rice) and adds succulent King crab meat and roe. The overall dish is a multi-textured, umami fried rice that is easily one of the tastiest I've eaten in the world. The small size is quite big for $22, but next time I'll order the large version for $29;
- Crispy fried Balmain bugs with spicy salt $38 - tender bug meat morsels coated and fried in a light coating of very salty batter. There was a hint of chilli to it, but I'd personally prefer more Sichuan pepper and less saltiness;
- Sweet & sour crispy pork hock $28 - I couldn't decide between this (because of Longrain), the Shandong beef shortrib or the sweet & sticky pork ribs (as ribs are my thing). The waiter suggested the pork hock was a house specialty, so this was it. The pork hock meat is pulled apart then stuck together and cubed, before being deep fried. The meat itself had a crisp surface and a slightly chewy middle. The sauce wasn't the sweet, sticky, palm sugar Longrain/Ezard-type that has become my standard. Nonetheless it was a fine dish and smelt lovely.

Dinner here is expensive. That's what you get in the middle of the trendy district in an expensive town at a place that is hip and new where people will queue up as you can't get decent bookings. What do you expect? At least the food is good.

Next time I would order the chueng fun from the dim sum menu. The king crab fried rice is the delicious carbohydrate which I'd supplement with the other two dishes that I couldn't decide upon - Shandong style Wagyu beef shortrib and Grandma's sweet & sticky pork ribs. I'd probably go hunting for dessert somewhere else.

During a short weekend staying at World Square, the surrounding food places I had marked on Google maps surrounded me. As I was headed toward the Vivid cruise (which is an incredible waste of time and money), Menya was enroute. I had starred this place as somewhere to try Sydney's ramen, in addition to Ippudo, Gumshara and Ikkyu.

The setting is very simple and pays homage to the typical Japan noodle bars (minus the free hard boiled eggs and vending machines). At least they had shichimi on the tables on standby.

- Tempura Soba $12.90 (prawn tempura, kakiage tempura, shallot, fish cake & sesame seed) - quality soba with great flavour. The soup was a clear and more simply flavoured broth. Unfortunately the tempura is placed in the soup so the coating became soft very quickly;
- B addon (beef rice and gyoza) $5 - standard gyoza and unexciting beef on rice. Both were just fillers;
- Black Garlic Ramen $11.30 (black garlic oil, roasted pork, fish cake, bamboo shoots, shallot, sesame seed, dried seaweed & seasoned boiled egg) - thin hearty pork soup with excellent quality chewy noodles. The pork slices were thin. The tonkotsu soup wasn't as fatty/thick as I hoped for but full of salty flavour, and the black garlic elevated it to another level, replacing my usual practise of crushing raw garlic in;
- Takoyaki - unusually perfectly rounded spheres with a tiny amount of octopus and topped with the standard sauce, mayonnaise and fish flakes.

It was great value and pretty good overall. Next time I'd stick to the noodles and not the sides. I've read Gumshara has the thickest broth, so maybe this is the place I need to try to emulate Bone Daddies.

It wasn't the biggest deal until I read a few weeks later they had actually won the title of best gelato in the world at a competition in Italy for their almond affogato flavour. Considering the amount of gelato I've eaten in Italy (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/gelato-trail-italy-07-2012) and to a lesser degree Spain, I couldn't see when I'd next have an opportunity to visit this place and test this flavour.

Interestingly enough on the second night of Vivid in Sydney, I was walking through Martin Place looking at the light shows that were honestly not overly impressive. What interested me was the food stall booths that appeared, and then there is was - Cow & Moon. I was hoping for the famous almond affogato and to try my staple benchmark pistachio, but unfortunately the former had sold out and the latter sold their last scoop 2 persons before me.

The flavours tried on this evening - from top left to bottom right:

- Hazelnut - good quality nocciola and my substitute for pistachio when not available. The best I've had still remains in Alba, who have their own famous hazelnuts, but this was an excellent milder version;
- Salted caramel and banana - good banana taste, didn't have the saltiness that I don't particularly like;
- Popcorn - very sweet, caramelised, a little too sweet for my usual liking;
- Dark chocolate - slightly bitter deep cocoa flavour.

I was slightly disappointed that there was an occasional ice crystal, but given the booth stall outdoors I have to be a bit forgiving. What I can say is the flavours were elegant, prominent and truly world class in quality.

I look forward to the next time.

Driving the 3 hours between Sydney and Canberra doesn't always lend itself to needing a break. However it's easy to add on an extra hour or so getting out of Sydney's central traffic, navigating the highways, accidentally going down tolls or stopping for groceries in Cabramatta (which often results in a pre-trip Vietnamese meal anyway). However if there is a desire for food or caffeine or toilet enroute, Goulburn probably represents the biggest place to stop in through.

After some quick online reading, I was actually hoping to get to The Roses Cafe - unfortunately they were closed for reasons unknown. Other cafes, Thai and Italian restaurants that were around didn't really appeal, so the second option on my list was Greengrocer.

This is actually a bike shop with a nice cafe area as well as some produce for sale too. There are bikes, bike shorts, some laptops and plenty of food around. The atmosphere is eclectic and quite nice. Food options include sandwiches, lots of salad options, some nice Greek meatballs and a solid list of gourmet pizzas. Everything is good without being spectacular, but easily satisfying for any reason you decide to stop by.

Dumplings. How simple and effective and satisfying. Yet so easy to make badly - skin too soft, skin too hard, filling not tasty or too dry, sauce bad flavour. My first venture into Din Tai Fung was in Shanghai in 2010 (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/din-tai-fung-shanghai-01-2010) - strange that a Taiwan company would reputedly have the best Shanghai dumplings. On that occasion I sat with no other company but the dumplings surrounding me and enjoyed my lunch. I recall the only thing that didn't impress me that day was the flavour (and cost) of their special black truffle dumplings.

On this occasion the special fluoro sampler combination plate looked too unusual to avoid. Emerald (salad green), topaz (golden corn), pink diamond (seafood), ruby (bolognaise), citrine (cheese), onyx (bbq pork), sapphire (garlic pork).

- Cha Jiang Noodle with Minced Pork - tasty noodles with spicy pork and a little bit of spice;
- Crab Meat & Roe with Pork Dumpling (8) - the classic xiao long bao with an added unclassic addition of crab flavour to the filling/soup. Delicious;
- DTF Veg Delight - the healthy aspect of the meal. Adequate;
- Dumpling Gems (7) - the colourful collection ended up being more visual gimmick than flavour sensation. They are strange and adequate but overall not particularly good. I'll be the first to admit I ordered them just so I could take a photo. Would recommend you only consider ordering it for the same reason;
- Spicy Prawn and Pork Wontons - my favourite dish of the night with succulent wontons drowned in the most delicious flavoursome chilli liquid. Need to eat these again one day;
- Taro Dumpling (4)
- Truffle Dumpling (2) - reinforced my 2010 opinion that expensive dumplings with slight truffle flavour (I suppose they could jack it up with some truffle oil although I still wouldn't order it) does not make for a worthwhile combination.

The sweet drinks are also (unsurprising for a Taiwan brand) a specialty with fresh soy bean milk and an avocado chocolate swirl countering the heat and chilli.

Next time I would order standard dumplings, maximise chilli dishes and a filler of noodles (or rice). Stay away from the gimmick dishes (eg. fluoro colours and truffles).

One of the best parts of being in Asia is the availability and variety of cheap noodle and rice dishes to satisfy you at any time of day or night. Failing that the next acceptable alternative is to be in a place with a large particular Asian community such that they bring their experience and expertise to enable people locally to enjoy it. It usually means a much heftier price tag and a reliance on local ingredients which may miss key herbs or elements. Occasionally it also means it may be an improvement as the meat quality is generally better in the Western world than Asia, so I think anyway.

In any case, living in Canberra makes travel to a place that has a good "Chinatown" section the more exciting. This tends to be Melbourne or Sydney, although I do like the Indonesian-influence in Darwin too.

Relatively enroute from Randwick back to Canberra was Cabramatta, the supposed centre of where Asian (at least Vietnamese) food gives rise. In fact after parking the car, the first person we saw was a lady on a bicycle dressed in traditional vietnamese garb wearing a rice hat. I haven't seen that before. The central area of Cabramatta is host to several Vietnamese restaurants/cafes, bakeries, sweet shops and fruit. Jackfruit at $8/kg? Bargain.

Pho Tau Bay is one of the places people online seem to rate as the favourite in Sydney. Like many noodle places, decor is not a reason to come here. Simple tables, simple chairs, Vietnamese or Korean drama on TV showing in many directions.

My standard selection pho bo tai nam had an interesting broth. There was an almost medicinal quality to it that I initially found quite strange. Eventually it smoothed out to a subtle beef broth. I won't say it was my favourite, but nonetheless good, different and I wouldn't hesitate to eat here again. Also on the menu, bun bo hue was a much heavier flavoured sweet soup stock. There was a distinct lack of chilli in it which was a bit disappointing and I'm not entirely sure why (review online have said similar).

Satisfying and no better option for a feed before an evening drive.

Back in January 2009, three of us were walking through the streets of Kyoto. Feeling a hankering for ramen, we walked into the basement food hall of Daimaru and asked a friendly staff member if they had ramen. She replied that they didn't, but suggested a famous shop just outside and around the corner. This was my first experience with Ippudo. With some hazy details, I remember the ramen was good but not cheap, and they also had possibly the smallest burger I've ever seen which my friend ate in only one or two bites. I probably prefer the variety at the ramen floor in Isetan next to the JR Kyoto station, but Ippudo good is still good.

I don't think I understood the significance of a branch opening in Sydney until I started reading about the endless numbers of ramen comparisons there recently. The choices seem to be between Ippudo, Menya, Gumshara and Ikkyu. Even David Chang had an article giving his two cents worth.

Feeling the emptiness of leaving behind my favourite Bone Daddies, ramen seemed a good idea for an evening feed. In the end I selected Ippudo, moreso for its reputation of tonkotsu (my favourite type) and also that was open until 9pm on this Sunday evening. It also happens to be located in the swankiest Westfield shopping centre I've ever seen, which is a far difference from the mediocre food options at Westfield in Melbourne.

The staff all speak Japanese (although the English is a mix of Aussie, US and Japanese) and the loud floor staff placing orders to the irrashaimase on arrival and arigatou gosaimasu on departure tries to keep things original.

- Shiromaru special - the signature tonkotsu broth called motoaji sounded a bit strange (aji no moto means MSG. Maybe I'm translating it incorrectly.) In any case the special served with additional fatty pork belly, bamboo shoots, seaweed and more was a solid delicious bowl. I do prefer my broth thicker and porkier, but this was still great with ground sesame and shichimi spice. The ramen was marginally overcooked and didn't have as much bite to it, but it didn't really bother me;
- Tori shoyu ramen - a cleaner broth of chicken and soy with bonito that seemed much healthier. Wavy noodles were perfect and seemed an nice alternative if the thick gelatinous tonkotsu isn't your style;
- Ippudo pork bun - identical to the one I had at Shoryu in London and similarly underwhelming. The bun is flat and not so fluffy, the pork slice is thin, and it is served with lettuce. I'd forgot this and save all these efforts for the Chinese-style/David Chang/Yum Bun versions;
- David tofu - a refined version of agedashi tofu which a thin fried shell surrounding silken tofu and served with a thick sauce rather than the usual broth-style. Not as heavy in flavour or texture as the usual. Different and nice.

It's not cheap but this is Sydney in a swanky department store in the middle of town. I'm not surprised. The food is good and I would gladly go back. I still prefer Bone Daddies thick and heaviness with the added garlic I used to add. For that reason I'd probably try Gumshara next time to see if their reputation for the thickest tonkotsu around lives up to expectation.

Next time I would order the shiromaru special again or tori shoyu if I wanted something lighter. I did like miso versions back in the day (rather than salt or soy) but these days I prefer the straight tonkotsu. But I wouldn't mind trying them for a change. There are other things to order here, but they are known for ramen. Stick to the ramen and complement it with a few small things if you want something extra.

Ever since the Luke Nguyen collection of cookbooks has graced my shelves, Red Lantern has been on the list of places to try. His Vietnam TV shows made it all the more enticing with his jazzed up versions of what I'm told is otherwise typical home dishes. It is probably fair to say that his TV show makes use of cheap and readily available ingredients throughout SE Asia, whereas in Australia you pay quite a premium for higher quality ingredients (maybe), general Sydney location and table service.

The few people I know who had been felt it was good but the portion size and price got to them. When comparing against general Asian food sizes and prices, that's not an unexpected opinion. Barely any Chinese people I know would ever eat higher end Chinese. Good thing I'm different.

The a la carte menu does take you a bit by surprise. Banh xeo for $30? How different could it be?

It seemed more reasonable to opt for the degustation menu - Saigon Scrumptious at $85pp for 11 courses.

The inside is nicely decorated with red lanterns and candles lighting up the room. For the amount of light, my phone photos didn't work so well. I'll have to consciously bring the SLR next time.

- Bo Nem Nuong - not nem nuong as I know it, but chargrilled beef rice paper roll. I thought it was a little plain and didn't have the rich variety of herbs that I prefer. The nuoc mam sauce gave it a bit more;
- Muc Rang Muoi - chilli salted squid that was crisp, well seasoned and delicious. Much preferred on its own than with the lemon dipping sauce;
- Tam Cuu - tiger prawn wrapped with pork neck, Vietnamese mint and shallot had a better collection of herbs. Ensure the dipping sauce coats it before eating as it makes a very big difference to the amount of flavour;
- Cha Co Hoi - pan fried salmon, roasted lemongrass and chilli fish cake was excellent. Beautiful thick pieces of fish in the cake with a herb topping enriched with perilla;
- Goi Chim Cut Nuong - tender grilled quail pieces with an excellent salad enhanced mostly by the fennel;
- Ca Nuong Rieng - simple pan fried fish in a very typical Italian-style tomato sauce. I couldn't detect any galangal flavour;
- Tom Xao Mat Ong - king prawns with tamari & honey sauce allowing vermicelli to absorb the salty sweetness;
- Suong Nuong voi Salat Xoai Xanh - grilled pork chops marinated in Szechuan peppers, palm sugar and tamari. Tender pork, sweet, salty sauce, minimal chilli heat;
- Cu Sen Xao Nam - zucchini, mushroom & lotus root wok tossed in black bean sauce seemed a very typical Cantonese dish. The zucchini was the standout vegetable here;
- Vit Quay voi Salat Viet - my favourite of roast duck served with plum sauce and Vietnamese salad. Chewy heavily flavoured duck meat, a delicious cutting sauce. Reminiscent of Longrain's pork hock;
- Red Lantern Dessert Platter - a fancy selection of red sticky rice coconut cream and jackfruit pieces in banana leaf topped with cinnamon icecream, deep fried banana with palm sugar, vanilla bean icecream topped with roasted shreds of coconut, a soup spoon of pineapple bits and the most wonderfully unexpected kaffir lime creme brulee.

Overall it is a little expensive, but you'll pay more from many degustation menus around Sydney/Melbourne/the world. The flavours were more refined Vietnamese, even though I'm probably more used to overloading my senses with herbs and sauces. Nonetheless salads were enhanced by perilla, vietnamese mint and coriander, nuoc mam and palm sugar. I'd definitely go back for the occasion. I'm not sure how big the a la carte servings are, but the degustation is quite reasonable when you compare prices.

After a long afternoon of Future Music Festival followed by a brief mingle with the glittered up crowd of Marquee in The Star, the next day Sunday was always going to be one of quite minimal effort. Since the Airbnb was located right between Randwick Racecourse and Coogee beach, the logical thing seemed to be to take advantage of the sunny 25C weather and rest.

A google search for Coogee fish and chips turned up 3 results: Kiwi Style Fish and Chips (closed on Sundays), Chish and Fips (which google maps located as not at the beach, but it actually is) and A Fish Called Coogee.

Strangely A Fish Called Coogee had the highest recommendations from various online blogs and articles, but also the lowest urbanspoon rating at a mere 65%. The criticisms seem to revolve around nonchalant staff, expensive food and a cooking fee. Given Kiwi was closed and I thought Chish was far away, AFCC seemed the only option. Thankfully it was a very good one.

- fish & chips - $11 for a solid sized piece of fried hoki and some reasonable chips is not that expensive. The fish had a very very thin, dark and crisp batter and nicely cooked flesh with a bit of firm bite. I added some salt and pepper (as the cooks don't themselves) and it was great. It was enough to share between two mildly hungry people;
- Greek-style octopus - so this is where more expensive prices ($3 for 100g) and cooking price ($1 for 100g) comes in. I can kind of understand, as it doesn't take much to build up a big cost (250g for $10 essentially). The octopus was tender and heavily flavoured with oregano and served with lemon wedge. It was nice as an aside and a break from the fish & chips.

The fish & chips are very high quality and not so expensive. If you stick with this and veer away from the raw seafood on display (or are happy to pay for it and the cooking cost), you'll be quite happy and not overly out of pocket. Take it down to the beach and enjoy the sun, the water, capoeira in the background and being alive.